ZOOM Pro – Jonathon Newton

In addition to traveling the country fishing the FLW Tour, Zoom pro Jonathan Newton guides on the famed Tennessee River lakes. That means, in the summertime, he has to be a master of ledges. Once the water gets warm, big bass and big schools of bass, head out to the river channel and look to put the feedbag on.

While crankbaits, swimbaits and football head jigs all play a role in his ledge fishing, Newton likes a worm better than anything when the bass are ganged up on this structure.

His first choice is a Zoom Ol’ Monster. “It’s the best ledge bait in the world,” he said. “You can’t beat it. And, Red Bug is hands down my favorite color day in and day out.” The 10 ½ inch worm features a large action tail that wiggles with the slightest provocation. When the current is flowing, it’s like a beacon for feeding fish, but when the water is dead still it continues to move seductively.

026-021-ol-monster-red-bug

Ol’ Monster Red Bug 026-021

What happens when the fish get in a funk and want something smaller?

“They can get real finicky,” Newton said. “When that happens, I’ll go to a shakey head, either a regular ball head or a football head style. I try to go with the lightest I can, which often means ¼ or 5/16 ounce, although I won’t hesitate to go up to a ½ ounce, if necessary.” On the back, he threads a Zoom Trick Worm, usually in green pumpkin. “It has such a subtle wiggle to it. Nobody else really has that.”

It’s a simple one-two punch, but when the heat kicks in, it produces cool dividends.

ZOOM Ol’ Monster

ZOOM Trick Worm